Amber Riley is an actress and singer best known for her roles as Mercedes Jones on the Fox hit TV series "Glee". She was born and raised in the city of Los Angeles and has aspired to be a singer most of her life. At the age of 17 Amber actually auditioned for the 2nd season of another hit Fox show "American Idol". Amber was rejected by the show's producers. She went on to perform singing backup for clubs along L.A.'s Sunset strip while working a day job at Ikea.
Riley, 24, landed the role of Mercedes Jones, the "brassy, full-figured, confident diva" with powerhouse pipes on the hit musical comedy Glee. While she's delivered memorable renditions of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "Bust Your Windows" on the series, the singer-actress struck a chord with Gleeks during a recent episode in which her character bucks orders to drastically drop 10 lbs. and ultimately learns to be comfortable in her skin.
In 2011, Riley acted as a campaign spokesperson for http://www.Dosomething.organd VH1 Save The Music Foundation's second annual "Battle for the Bands." Riley starred in a PSA campaign and engaged fans through social media to participate in the campaign that mobilized young people in the fight for keeping music education in schools.
Recently, only a few days after the tragic death of superstar Whitney Houston, Amber Riley covered Houston's biggest hit, "I Will Always Love You," for the FOX musical's Valentine's Day episode, in which her character, Mercedes, says goodbye to both her current boyfriend Shane and ex-beau, Sam. The show is currently filming a tribute episode dedicated solely to Houston.
Amber Riley dropped 2 dress sizes recently after being diagnosed with chronic stomach aches. She made it up in her mind to start eating healthy and diminish the fast food in her diet. Despite what critics may say, Amber is confident about her body and her size. "I've always been comfortable with my size," says Riley. "I just decided it was time to get healthy."
Courtesy of People
